In the field of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), transflective displays are known. For example, international patent application no. WO 2004/013687 describes such a display. An optical element is switchable between a transmissive mode and a reflective mode by application of a voltage to a polymer dispersed type liquid crystal display element. This switching controls whether external light, or light emitted by a backlight, passes through a liquid crystal panel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative transflective optical element.